When my husband and I first married, our ‘life plan’ included having two children, a boy and a girl (of course!). Yet here we are 16 years later with six amazing children, four boys and two girls! Quincy Bates has been an incredible support to us both throughout our pregnancy and birth experiences. She was our Doula for my first three hospital births, and served us well in that capacity but the more I learned about pregnancy and birth options, the more I realized there was a better way for *me* to deliver my babies. After a very quick and rather dissatisfying hospital birth experience for my 3rd son, Jay and I agreed that baby #4 would be born at home with Quincy as our primary midwife.
As my health insurance covered prenatal care with an OBGYN 100%, including lab work and ultrasounds, I sought concurrent care with my OBGYN and paid out of pocket for Quincy’s midwifery services. My fourth pregnancy was uneventful and the prenatal care I experienced with Quincy was a stark contrast to the care I received from my OBGYN’s office. We would sit and chat comfortably while she answered all of my questions and patiently addressed my concerns. Many appointments lasted closer to an hour, compared to the rushed 5 minute visits with my busy OBGYN office. I felt attended to and cared for by Quincy, and she gave me the confidence I needed in those final weeks to birth my baby safely at home.
Tristian Riel Thomas was born towards the end of my 41st week of pregnancy after several difficult & exhausting weeks of prodromal labor. When he was finally ready to make an arrival, it was a reasonably quick labor, but after pushing for a period of time with no progress, I was frustrated and discouraged and even a little worried. My previous babies had been comparably easy to push out! Quincy took it all in stride and she and her assistant, Karen, and my doula helped me with position changes and encouraged me as I eventually pushed out my 10 lb, 2 oz baby boy! Baby and I were both perfectly whole and happy, and Quincy’s excellent care extended well into the post-partum period with frequent check-ups and ongoing support that far surpassed what I had experienced from my hospital birth providers.
Our experience with Tristian was so amazing, we didn’t even question having a second homebirth when I became pregnant with our fifth child. Again, Quincy managed my prenatal care with the same level of time and attention we had grown to expect from a homebirth midwife. She shared our joy when we found out our fifth child would be our first daughter! Toward the end of the pregnancy my husband set up the birth pool Quincy loaned us and we readied our bedroom for the big event. Feeling anxious about another “late,” “big” baby, I consented to allow my concurrent-care OBGYN to strip my membranes during my 40 week prenatal appointment. A few short hours later, active labor was underway. 
It turned out to be another very quick labor, and Ellani Grace was in no mood to wait for anyone! Karen Dobbins arrived at my home just as my body began reflexively pushing and Karen barely had time to put her gloves on before Ellani came barreling out into the soothing water of the birth pool. The birth was so quick, Ellani was a little stunned and needed a bit of extra attention, which Karen calmly provided her. Quincy arrived moments later to carefully check baby and I over and found us both to be perfectly healthy with Ellani weighing in at 8 lbs, 6 oz. Once more we were spoiled by Quincy and Karen and my doulas throughout the immediate and extended post-partum period. Such a difference from the typical hospital experience!
God wasn’t quite done with our family yet, though, and a year and some change later we were quite surprised to find out we would be having ANOTHER baby! Again, there was no hesitation in deciding on a homebirth, and we were so excited to call Quincy and schedule our first prenatal appointment! We were now old hats at this pregnancy thing and my sixth pregnancy was another straightforward, uncomplicated experience, complete with leisurely checkups at Quincy’s office. As my baby’s birth month rolled around, I began to worry about the impending labor and birth experience. I allowed my own experiences as a labor doula to plant doubt and fear in my mind, and Quincy would affirm my ability and boost my confidence many times in those final weeks. Ultimately it paid off, and Annavay Elizabeth was born at home into the water after another quick, intense labor. (This time I gave Quincy and Karen plenty of warning, and my whole birth team was there to greet Annavay.) She weighed in at 8 lbs, 5 oz, and her big brother, Zachariah, got to cut the cord! It was another amazing birth experience with exceptional care from Quincy and her assistant Karen.
Quincy helped to usher all SIX of our children safely into this world with competence, kindness, patience, JOY and love. For anyone looking to experience something *better* for their own birth experiences, I would encourage you to consider the personalized care of homebirth midwives.
